Time Out For The Electoral College

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Time Out for the Electoral College

American citizens are naïve of the function of the Electoral College because they believe in error that they directly elect the President and Vice President when in fact the “Electors” representing the candidates cast the Electoral College votes.

The Electoral College

Two hundred years ago, the Framers of the Constitution outlined the Electoral College when they disagreed on who should elect the president, and disagreed on the role of the people, the congress, and the states in the political process. Some favored the direct vote while others lacked confidence in the people to vote. The compromise became what is now the Electoral College. In the two hundred year history of the Electoral College, many have proposed to eliminate it as the method of electing Presidents and Vice Presidents. Therefore, the question is “What necessitates the continuance of the Electoral College as the method of electing Presidents and Vice Presidents and should it be eliminated?”

The Electoral College is the process in which we vote for the Presidents and Vice Presidents in America. Most Americans are unaware of the role of the Electoral College maybe because they erroneously believe that they directly elect the president and vice president. What they are doing however, when they vote to elect the president and the vice president, is voting for officials known as “electors ” who are assigned to every presidential candidate. These electors have only one responsibility and that being to select the president and vice president. When the candidate wins the popular vote in the ...

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...the American people will continue to deal with the as is system of the Electoral College and all the problems we feel it presents.

References

Dell K., Time Election (2004). The Electoral College Explained. Retrieved December 5, 2005 from, http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,749496,00.html

Leip, D., (2003). The Electoral College. Retrieved December 5, 2005 from, http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_procon.php

Magleby, D., O’Brien, D., Light, P., Burns, J., Peltason, J., & Cronin, T. sixth edition (2005) Government by the People. The Electoral College (pg.186). Pearson: Prentice Hall©2006

Rock the Vote, (2005). Election 101, the General Election. Retrieved December 5, 2005 from http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_elections_101_general.php

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